Alluring Secret
by Yoona Lee
Summary: Young, divine, and innocent. Most of all, innocent. Like a fairy. Females had a flaw, always disgusting him. Let it be a mole in the wrong spot and it would be ruined. Yuki Sohma's obsession over innocence drives him to murder, turning him into an infamous murderer known as 13. Then he meets Tohru Honda. However, she's looking for the murderer, too. Will love erase the past? AU
1. Perfectly Imperfect

**Alluring Secret**

Summary: Young, divine, and innocent. Most of all, innocent. Like a fairy. Up close, the females always have a flaw, always disgusting him. Let it be a mole, lipstick, or lace. Yuki Sohma's obsession over innocence drives him to murder, turning him into an infamous murderer known as 13. Then he meets Tohru Honda. However, she's looking for the murderer. Will love erase the past? **AU**

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_Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being._

**Blood.** _Blood everywhere. He smiled sadistically. The body lay on the ground, the aroma of stunning death twirling around it and then escaping the deceased body - gliding into his nostrils. Any normal person would have been terrified senseless or ignore it, pretending to have blatant disregard of its presence and walking away without reporting it. Their masquerade amused him so._

_ He, however, smiled perversely. It was a beautiful though horrible sight (impossible). Thirteen stabs, an unlucky number, wounding her body. Her eyes were wide like she hadn't expected it at all. He would have had felt contempt towards her, yet something compelled him not to. It was the fact that she abandoned her mask of innocence and remodeled herself into an appearance he despised._

_Betrayal wouldn't be excused. __Just like he did to her, she stabbed him in the back practically. __It sickened him to the point where he committed an unforgivable crime, just like she had... So, they were even.__  
_

_And that was fair._

How pitiful, _he thought. They could have gotten married, buy a house, have only one child (he preferred this) and till death would they part. This didn't happen. She didn't distinguish what his idea of a perfect relationship was. Instead, she thought it would be best to not take it slow with baby steps, instead rushing and putting on dark red lipstick, a revealing top and a skirt that exposed her undergarments shamelessly. He refrained himself from making a gag noise and tried not to pay attention to the details and went through with it. _

_After the horrible deed was finished, he took the knife he used so many times before from under his bed._

_Stabbed her thirteen times and took away their engagement ring, burning it to remove the evidence. No one would suspect him. Why would they suspect a boyfriend that the girl described to be loving and quiet? The quietest ones have the most secrets, people say. Surely, no one believed that now._

_Despite his crime, the tears swam down his cheeks sorrowfully. And yet, he ventured on, leaving that in the past but never forgetting it. Once in a while, he knew that the memory would reach his dream's realm, demolishing and wrecking it into a nightmare.__  
_

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The blazing sun cast its brilliant rays through the window's glass, donating its light to the home that didn't use much electricity itself. Outside, clouds moved in an unhurried pace, so much that not many people bothered to watch them. Birds were perched on the trees' branches in the shade, avoiding any ray of light to blind its eyes, chirping quietly while nestling their heads together with their partner.

It drew the alone girl from her homework, her ballpoint pen poising its nib on the paper, stopping its previous exercise. She lifted the pen so the ink wouldn't bleed in her assignment, which was awaiting the many more paragraphs. Her brown eyes resisted the urge to see how many sentences she'd written, almost certain that she hadn't done very much. She tittered and chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. Maybe she could spare some time with the power of procrastination.

Though guilty, she shoved the chair back, standing up and walking over to the window, happy that she was able to take a break. She had to stifle a yawn so she wouldn't have to miss the beautiful sight of the sun. She was careful not to stare so hard at it though, afraid her vision could cause her to get glasses. Not that it bothered her, she thought glasses were cute. Nerds were cute in a way unexplained, after all, they had a candy brand name.

Back to glasses, what bothered her were their price. She'd have to buy new ones each year. One that was the primary, and the other if the primary one was lost. So bothersome.

Procrastinating did, too. She couldn't help it. The assignment frustrated her so.

She returned to looking outside, burning those thoughts.

Speaking of burning...

It looked really hot outside, almost like you could sniff the air and notice the heat automatically. Skin could be burned easily by the sun. Sweat would break out of your pores when you had the slightest movement. It was no shock that the sun was the reason for the farmer's irritation. Most of them were grumpy, so Tohru tried to avoid them. One of her friends tended to the rice.

"Poor farmers," she murmured. "It must be dreadfully uncomfortable out there. Maybe I should bring them some water to drink." They worked so hard, planting crops so they could feed people, including her. Above all, the children. She clasped her hands together excitedly. "Perhaps it will get them out of their grumpy mood!"

Before doing the task, she glanced at the clock on the wall, which was ticking mindlessly. She found out what time it was. It was almost time to prepare supper. Stunned at how time moved so quickly, she tore her gaze away from the window. Homework could wait. She had to make supper for the family before she would find herself in trouble.

It was her duty in the house to make supper. It wasn't anyone else's, not even the mother, who usually was the one around the house cleaning. She had to tend to the laundry, folding it so the other people in the home could just simply put it away instead of the teenagers. She had to tidy the house, also. It was pretty basic.

To put it out simply, she had to do nearly everything. After all, she was the maid. Or even "better", a servant. At the moment, she wore a dress with a apron, slightly dirty but acceptable. Like Cinderella after her father and mother died - leaving her with her evil stepmother. Almost in unpleasant irony, her father and mother did die, or so they said. They had disappeared after a horrible tornado swept through the countryside, ruining many homes, including her own. She never saw them again. She prayed for their return, but God seemed to be against her in this one. Yet, she believed they weren't truly gone from Earth.

Sometimes, she wished someone like Romeo could sweep her off her feet and take her away like the tornado, only nicer. Palaces weren't important, it was only critical that they were both happy together equally. Equality was what she believed could make the world better.

Romeo...

She didn't want to be part of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, though. She didn't want to be Juliet. She didn't want the prince from Cinderella who only fell for her for her looks and didn't talk much about their personal lives. She wanted Romeo, the one who sneaked out to see her. Cinderella, who left her glass slipper on purpose, the one with a wonderful personality and didn't fake her death.

And they lived a happy ending. A happily ever after ending. Those cliché endings movies in America often broadcast on re-runs on certain channels. Disney, was it?

Wouldn't it be marvelous if she was part of a Disney movie, too? How unfortunate to be in the real world, others often said. It's tough out there.

She sighed.

_Be a realist, Tohru._

However, her mind continued its way in the land of delusions, ignoring reality that was about to surface...

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Tohru traveled to the market, her purse trailing behind her, its strap over her shoulder. She didn't own a car so she walked over here. She was used to it. Like she had predicted, it was hot outside. Her skirt clung to her thighs because of sweat being like glue and her hair felt nappy.

"What should I make today?" she wondered to herself quietly. "Soup? Maybe even noodles? And rice on the side with various items on top?" A couple of people walking past by stared at her, thinking what in the world was she doing talking to herself and she probably escaped the mental hospital. She didn't seem to notice this, though. She was too preoccupied with the supper's menu.

Tohru caught a glimpse of fish. She paused her train of thought and approached the fish, her eyes roaming over them carefully or she'd be picking the wrong one. They were pre-prepared, ridden of any particular health threats. This was why it was her favorite market, she never took too much time here. The prices were also decent, cheap but great products.

She checked her watch. The family were returning in two hours. That gave her enough to cook. Deciding to pick tuna, she asked the worker to give her the biggest tuna there. After exchanging the money for the fish, she put it in the bag and ran off. While on the way, she passed baskets of fresh strawberries.

She never thought she would be absorbed in food, but strawberries were apparently an exception. She wanted to buy some; however, the family disliked them as much as they disliked commoners, which they didn't treat very kindly. She wasn't allowed to eat the food they ate, but she was allowed to eat food elsewhere. With her own money, that is.

Putting aside the disappointment, she shook her head and exited the market. She was so concerned with the preparation that she didn't feel the eyes watching her. You could tell someone was looking at you, just by the cold breeze past your neck and the way the hairs stand up. The way that the air suddenly felt suspenseful. And then your eyes look around to see who was staring. Of course, Tohru was delusional sometimes. So she simply did not acknowledge it and kept going.

She ran away from problems. She didn't like facing problems. Sometimes, she felt like she was wearing a mask that covered all reality so she didn't need to see them. Like her parents' disappearance. In her mind, they kept telling her they were fine and would return. They were probably lacking money, that was all.

Optimism kept her going, she supposed. Without it, she didn't know what she would do.

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The teacher sat at their desk, grading some tests she was too lazy to finish. Her hand absentmindedly scribbled random grades, completely inappropriate for a teacher. It wasn't like it mattered, anyway. Either way, she was being paid. The school had low standards and it was cheap. Muttering under her breath, "Ninety-five... one-hundred... eighty... one-hundred... seventy-nine...", she also sipped coffee. They were all passing grades. No need to disappoint them. She was possibly the easiest teacher in the school.

The coffee was bitter.

She took out her laptop and set it on her desk, logging in on her email (the one she didn't really use often for other non-school related things). Once she reached her emails, seven messages were waiting to be read, its letters in bold to emphasize that they were brand new. She clicked on the one that had a star next to it, indicating it was the most important.

_Dear Miss Sato:_

_We are saddened to inform that one of our students, also your daughter to be specific, has died. The principal found her lying in front of a tree with thirteen stab wounds. We weren't able to make her recover; it was just too severe and it appeared as if she was there for a while. No traces of the criminal was found. Even the weapon that was used was gone. We apologize for the tragedy._

_Also -_

The teacher stopped reading, her eyes widened with horror as the truth dawned on her. Her beloved and only daughter was gone. She opened the top drawer and took out a framed picture of them together years ago. Yumi looked so innocent, her eyes happy and full of glee. It was difficult to believe she was gone. Her finger ran over the photo softly like it was a treasure.

She began to sob. She always tried to protect her. Her daughter became stubborn at the who knows what age. She began to throw away her toys, even the ones she'd made for her. She began to demand more clothes and make up, waxing eyebrows into perfect tadpoles and such. She began to wear more skimpy and revealing clothing. She didn't know what was going on.

She looked up at the ceiling. What could have provoked the murderer to kill her? Her daughter constantly bragged about her boyfriend. She supposed she became like that once she obtained a new boyfriend.

If hunting him down was what it took to find out...

She pulled her sleeve up.

So be it.

_**She could never be perfect, but could love perfectly.**_


	2. Tragic Hero

**Alluring Secret**

Summary: Young, divine, and innocent. Most of all, innocent. Like a fairy. Up close, the females always have a flaw, always disgusting him. Let it be a mole, lipstick, or lace. Yuki Sohma's obsession over innocence drives him to murder, turning him into an infamous murderer known as 13. Then he meets Tohru Honda. However, she's looking for the murderer. Will love erase the past? **AU**

**Author's Note: I feel really great about the compliments I received. This is my first time writing a Fruits Basket story, so I was a bit nervous. I might as well answer a few questions before people start asking and it gets out of hand. **

**Why is Yuki so out of character? **I realize that, yes. Sometimes, you have to bring out the darker sides of character. It's what makes the story interesting... for me, that is. I didn't make him dance to Thriller, at least. That would have been way out of line.

**Is there a curse? **Since this is an alternate universe [AU], no.

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**___The word spread out that another murder emerged._ **They didn't suspect anyone, thankfully. He was in the kitchen, slicing some strawberries for a crêpe he was creating, when the TV in the living room delivered an announcement he didn't want to hear. His knife dropped to the floor with a _clang_ and he slowly turned, his face stricken with fear.

His gray eyes searchingly gazed around the room. The fact that the strawberries were unevenly cut was pushed aside, including the knife that could possibly distribute an injury was ignored. In hesitance, he watchfully began taking baby steps toward the living room, his breath quivering and having an extremely difficult time to keep quiet. It rose and lowered inconsistently.

The nerve of the press, he thought. Making such a big deal over a murder that wasn't unfair.

He reached the living room, his head poking out behind the wall cautiously. No one was inside the room. He didn't bother to muse why the TV was on in the first place. He didn't watch TV much, let alone ever listened to the news anyway. This time, it was an exception. The voices in the TV talked like it was a casual discussion, as if it wasn't even a murder in the first place! _Why did they do it, why thirteen wounds, would you like some lunch, et cetera._

Ever so slowly, he sat down on the couch. It felt cold.

His eyes watched the broadcast, anticipating for any clues that they retrieved. It now showed the girl's photo, at the time when she was "normal", the apparent mother informed. His eyebrow rose. Was that his teacher?

That was what she looked like before the fifth day they began dating. Her eyes so pure, her outfit looking oh-so-innocent. No too short skirts, no make-up, and nothing that would have irritated him to no end. Why couldn't she have stayed like that instead of changing herself "for the better"? He liked her the way she was.

She had asked him what did he think about her latest make-over, climbing on his lap and her hands placed on his shoulders. He could have sworn he saw her undergarments. He wanted to push her off and run away. Being the gentleman, however, he went along with it quietly, not making any sound or any vocal response to her questions. The only sign of his attention was his slight nods. Didn't she know it pained him?

A chill slithered up his arm, making goosebumps appear. He brushed his hands across them, trying to warm them up.

"If you've seen her with anyone recently before the murder, please contact at XXX-XXX," the reporter said. "Thank you for watching, and we will report more information if we receive it."

The TV turned off. Yuki looked up and saw his cousin, standing across the room with a remote in his left hand. His eyes were filled with concern.

"Yuki, please tell me you didn't..." His voice trailed off, knowing very well that Yuki knew what he was referring to. Need he ask? He already knew the answer.

He stood up and retreated back into the kitchen.

The cousin stared at the floor, ashamed that this was what he became. He went back into the place he was previously, deciding that it was best to leave him be. He couldn't blame Yuki; he craved for innocence as well. But he'd never go that far.

Someday there will be a person that will discover the problem, a non-family member. And try to help him escape.

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During class, the room was swelling with grief. The teacher was at her desk the whole period, only muttering sentences once in a while. The students attempted to console her, assuring her that her daughter was in a better place, despite her brutal end. It only made her cry harder. The class knew Yumi very well. She was nice and never said anything rude, even if she was ever secretly angry.

Tohru never really knew her. She noticed she was kind, though. The horrible thought that maybe she wanted to be friends with everyone but never got to shamed her, that Tohru never spoken to her therefore she didn't have a chance.

So sad.

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After class ended, she headed off to lunch to meet up with her friends. She tried to not dwell on the death so much. She carried her lunchbox to the destination and her eyes were glued to the floor the entire time. It was only a miracle that she didn't crash into anyone on accident; usually, she was extremely clumsy and could cause a minor injury in seconds. Sometimes, her friends wondered how did she manage in the kitchen with knives.

She sat herself at the lunch table; her friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, had stopped their previous conversation since her arrival. They all didn't speak - possibly because death's spell was among them. Maybe Saki wouldn't have minded either way.

At last, Arisa decided to speak. "Listen, Tohru, don't worry about it. Not like you knew her."

"I realize that, but how can someone in your class die and you didn't even know?" She sighed.

"Mainly because you didn't know her," Arisa replied. "You shouldn't worry about it so much; try to be careful and you won't be like her."

She shook her head.

"Arisa, it is best to stop talking about it altogether so it would be removed from Tohru's mind," Saki advised in her usual toneless manner, her expression flat. "After all, it is the best solution that is available."

"But just to ignore it? Has she not gone through enough? We must pay our respects! I know that she was a stranger, but to die out of the blue?" The two friends exchanged glances, knowing very well they might as well surrender. No matter how much logic they put forth, she'd beat them with compassion. This, they had become accustomed to.

Instead of complaining, they resumed eating without another question. The girl was too naive for her own good, they admitted. But she was the type of person that brightened people's lives, no matter the lives they had lived. Even if the person was a thief, she'd have sympathy and allow them to stay in her home. If their ways didn't end and they took one of her valuables, she'd forgive them.

They worried about her.

Some day, her forgiveness would lead to her demise - if all predictions were true.

Saki peeled her orange, the skin coming off and landing on her lap. "She died a tragic hero."

At least they came into an agreement.

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Originally, I wanted Tohru and Yuki to finally meet in this chapter - but I decided to wait until the next. The chapter was already 1,305 words and I don't like rushing things. I'm sorry for the really late update. Type up a review?


	3. For A Sick Boy

**Alluring Secret**

Summary: Young, divine, and innocent. Most of all, innocent. Like a fairy. Up close, the females always have a flaw, always disgusting him. Let it be a mole, lipstick, or lace. Yuki Sohma's obsession over innocence drives him to murder, turning him into an infamous murderer known as 13. Then he meets Tohru Honda. However, she's looking for the murderer. Will love erase the past? **AU**

**Author's Note: I apologize for the late update. There's some tension between me and ... my parents. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. :]**

**Errr... **

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**Saki peered at the tree where Yumi had been found**, right where the she had her last breaths. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck bristled, as though someone was watching her. She didn't react, didn't move, or breathe. She suspected it was Yumi's spirit, mourning, but then again it didn't feel like her spirit at all. The aura radiated with insanity and a touch of loneliness. The student blinked in understanding, sensing that they were probably contemplating whether or not to attack.

Yet she didn't move. She wanted to ask him, she wanted to ask why had he done it. What were his intentions? It was that, and she didn't want her friend Tohru to attend such a dangerous environment with a murder lurking about. She cared too much about her to even allow or stand that. She was too fragile, too easy to fall into corruption. But somehow at the same time, she was incredibly strong. She survived her parents' deaths. She survived those hard chores back at the place she currently resided.

They said friends were disposable as a tissue. But Tohru wasn't like that, nor was Arisa (who could defend herself perfectly). She was _forever_... yes, Saki could go as far as to describe her that. She despised it when she was hurt.

Tohru sang sometimes. It wasn't her passion; it was merely a hobby like collecting lead pencils. Pretty. Light. Saki thought that maybe singing helped her get through the dreadful days at her home.

But the thing was, life was terrible. It was suffused with lies and facades. However, if you had that one person to keep you going, then you'd survive. That was Tohru to Saki. And hopefully, Saki to Tohru.

Like a knight?

A rustle in the bushes disrupted Saki's thoughts. She turned slightly, unfazed.

She waited for the person to come out.

When he didn't after a few moments, she called out without a tremble in her voice, "Don't hide."

There was tension in the air.

"It isn't really your fault for being like this, is it?" she went on, smiling slightly. It was more of a smirk, as it didn't reach her cold eyes. "All you want is for someone to be perfect, so they won't hurt you." Saki stepped forward, fully facing in his direction. "You're sick."

The person seemed to want to speak, but they didn't.

"If the girl were to fall in love with someone else, to display any sign of betrayal, you'd kill her?" she asked. She made a sarcastic chuckle, its sound loud in the generally empty air.

No answer, as usual. She leaned back against the tree, crossing her arms over her chest. "For **a sick boy**, you make sense somewhat." Her voice was soft. "Yet, I disagree with your techniques—"

"_Is it okay if I kill you?_"

She froze, startled. She blinked and glanced over where he was. "No. If you do that, I won't be able to—"

"To protect your little friend, right?" he demanded bluntly. A sinister smile crept up his lips.

She refused to give in.

He repeated the first question.

"_Is it okay to kill you_?"

She shook her head, her foot clumsily tripping on a rock. Her back slammed on the tree bark, wincing not from the pain but from what she saw. The school prince, holding a knife in the air. Her arms raised for defense slackened, and fell back.

"T-Toh—" she choked out.

Again and again, the knife thrusted into her. The knife, lodging into her heart.

_**I'm sorry, Tohru.**_

* * *

_Why are you sorry?_

* * *

Yuki pulled out the knife, red splashing his surroundings. His sight blurred, a sick feeling consuming him. The killing spree hadn't at all strengthened him, and he felt like emptying his stomach. But he didn't. He looked down at his hands, stained with the crime he'd just committed. Glaring at them and clenching them into fists, he stood up and left the yard.

Once he washed his hands and changed his clothes in the gym locker room, he came across a girl.

She murmured that she was looking forward for tomorrow.

A smile adorned her sweet face.

Was she really like that?

He frowned.

There was only one way to find out.

He approached her, greeting her with a pleasant smile. It pained him to. She looked at him, startled at first but then recovered her typical cheerful attitude. He asked for her name after introducing himself.

Without any hesitance, she answered.

"I'm Tohru."

His eyes widened.

A flash of the girl from the yard flickered in his mind.

Her final word. Her final name.

It was the student in front of him.

_Should I kill you?_

_Is it okay to kill you?_

She tilted her head to the side at his expression. "Is something wrong?"

He stiffly shook his head. "No, nothing. I'm just... not feeling well right now." He forced a smile. "Care to join me this afternoon?"

Tohru registered a delighted grin. "I'd love to."


End file.
